landlord

noun

land·​lord ˈland-ˌlȯrd 

1

: the owner of property (such as land, houses, or apartments) that is leased or rented to another

2

: the master of an inn or lodging house : innkeeper

Synonyms of landlord

• proprietor
• lessor
• letter
• renter

Examples of landlord in a Sentence

agreed to pay the landlord the rent on the first Monday of each month

a weekend workshop that is intended to disabuse would-be landlords of a bed-and breakfast that the job is one long vacation

Recent Examples on the Web

Supporters say that the bill would prevent some of the mass evictions that have been seen after new landlords — particularly large companies — purchase buildings and decide to drive up the rent. —Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026

Last week, the Minneapolis City Council passed a measure requiring landlords to wait 60 days to evict someone instead of 30. —Jason Rantala, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026

An attorney for the landlord did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Tuesday. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026

There are bad private landlords in New York City, and they absolutely should be held accountable. —Renee Collymore, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing landlord

• absentee landlord

Rhymes for landlord

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword

Kids Definition

landlord

noun

land·​lord -ˌ(d)lȯ(ə)rd 

1

: the owner of land or houses that is rented to another

2

: a person who runs an inn or rooming house

Legal Definition

landlord

noun

land·​lord

: the owner of property (as houses, apartments, or land) that is leased or rented to another